Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.

Jimmy McCool lunged to his left as the ball flew past him into the back of the net for the 10th time in Syracuse’s bout with then-No. 15 Harvard on Feb. 22. He pounded the bottom of his stick on the JMA Wireless Dome turf. Then, McCool heard his name called and walked in ignominy to the sideline.

The Syracuse goalie had been benched. McCool was left to rue his struggles — allowing 10 goals on 15 shots for a .333 save percentage. In his first season as a starter, McCool watched the final 25 minutes of the Orange’s 15-14 loss to the Crimson without playing a part. If he was pulled so early in the season, what did that mean for his future between the pipes?

However, postgame SU head coach Gary Gait confidently stated, “Jimmy’s our starter.” The head coach stressed one bad performance or one loss wasn’t going to change that. He still trusted McCool.

“I’m sure he would like a chance to get back in there and prove he’s better than that,” Gait said of McCool on Feb. 22. “He’s a great kid and a good leader, and he’s going to get that opportunity.”

That trust paid off Saturday against Colgate. McCool recorded a career-high 18 saves, allowing No. 10 Syracuse (7-2, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) to edge No. 18 Colgate (5-4, 2-1 Patriot League) 16-12. McCool held the Raiders — who came in averaging 15.75 goals per game, the third-best mark in Division I — to just two first-half goals on 13 first-half saves. He logged key stops down the stretch to show his value four games after his benching, which have all been wins.

“I got a lot of confidence in Jimmy,” SU attack Joey Spallina, who tallied a career-high 11 points, said postgame. “He’s a top goalie in the country.”

Gait added McCool “set the tone” for the Orange and allowed them to “stay on top and finish the game.”

McCool came up big on Colgate’s man-up opportunities. The Raiders entered with the 13th-best extra-man offense in the country, yet SU held the Raiders to 2-for-8 on man-up opportunities — largely thanks to McCool.

With the Orange leading 7-2 in the first five minutes of the second quarter, Wyatt Hottle was called for a one-minute illegal body check penalty. Colgate’s Ryan Favaro got a look from just outside the crease and directed it on net. McCool tipped it aside.

Later in the second quarter, two simultaneous penalties afflicted the Orange. Down to nine men, Colgate’s Rory Connor laced a long-range shot, but McCool denied it. The netminder scooped up the ball off the ensuing Raider turnover and jump-started a Syracuse attack that ended with a Spallina goal, beating the 10-man ride.

In the final 30 seconds of the first half, Owen Hiltz picked up a penalty for holding, setting up another Colgate extra-man chance. Yet, McCool again stoned the Raiders’ effort, this time by covering his near post on a Jack Turner bid.

When Sam English was whistled for pushing midway through the third quarter, again McCool came up huge. Liam Connor got an open look on the left goal line extended, but McCool produced a kick save to somehow keep the ball from crossing the line.

“It was incredibly important,” Gait said of McCool’s saves on Colgate man-ups.

Gait added that 50% of the time on man-down defense, it’s the goalie who’s forced to make a play. McCool made those plays Saturday, preventing the Raiders from capitalizing on their advantages and sparing the Orange from paying for their ill-discipline.

“The guy made saves,” Colgate head coach Matt Karweck said postgame. “We got shots on all (extra-man opportunities), and they were good opportunities. (McCool) made some good saves on man-up. Statistics alone, I think we got the shots that we wanted.”

Hiltz, who scored three goals Saturday and eclipsed the 200-point mark, said McCool’s saves impact more than just the scoreboard — they energize the team. He said it provides a “big momentum swing” when McCool makes a stop, garners a loud cheer from the crowd and Syracuse gets the ball back.

McCool, for his part, credited SU’s defense for his career day. Syracuse faced a season-high 49 shots but came out on top. The goalie also stressed taking it one play at a time to put himself into position to showcase his shot-stopping ability.

“I think the defense was giving me shots that I wanted to see,” McCool said postgame. “We were funneling them down into more angle areas.”

Following SU’s lopsided 18-2 win over Manhattan Tuesday, Gait reflected on the Orange’s defensive performance this season. Syracuse boasted the fourth-best scoring defense in the country, only conceding 7.50 goals per game before Saturday’s matchup.

“I think the goaltending was a bit of an anomaly there against Harvard,” Gait said Tuesday. “That’s the only game Jimmy’s had below 50%.”

Gait’s right. McCool has posted a save percentage above .522 in Syracuse’s other eight games and boasts a .590 mark on the season — top 15 nationally — along with the fifth-best goals-against average in Division I at 7.43.

Syracuse assistant coach Nick Acquaviva has implemented three shot categorizations for goalies, which he took from Karweck. “Shouldas” are any attempts from beyond 10 to 12 yards that goalies should save every time. “Couldas” range from five to 12 yards — shots that could go either way. Then there are “stole’ems,” which come from inside five yards. Acquaviva wants goalies to notch a couple “stole’ems” per game. On Saturday, McCool recorded nearly 10 “stole’ems,” and he didn’t miss too many “shouldas.”

“When he’s playing the way that he was today, we’re able to take a little bit more chances knowing that Jimmy’s gonna have our back and we’re gonna have his,” Spallina said.

McCool had Syracuse’s back with his 18 valuable saves. And SU had his back — trusting him even after one forgettable outing. Given that trust, McCool delivered, proving why Gait never wavered.

Published on March 22, 2025 at 6:05 pm
Contact Nicholas: njalumka@syr.edu | @nalumkal